Autophagy regulates TGF-β expression and suppresses kidney fibrosis induced by unilateral ureteral obstruction

Y Ding, S ll Kim, SY Lee, JK Koo, Z Wang… - Journal of the …, 2014 - journals.lww.com
Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved process that cells use to degrade and recycle
cellular proteins and remove damaged organelles. During the past decade, there has been
a growing interest in defining the basic cellular mechanism of autophagy and its roles in
health and disease. However, the functional role of autophagy in kidney fibrosis remains
poorly understood. Here, using GFP-LC3 transgenic mice, we show that autophagy is
induced in renal tubular epithelial cells (RTECs) of obstructed kidneys after unilateral …